A different kind of storm could complicate this weekend’s plans.

For the first time since January 2005, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for Friday evening.

The category G4 watch from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center signals the possibility that a concentration of energy flaring from the Sun could disturb our planet’s electromagnetic field once it reaches Earth.

A geomagnetic storm of this size could disrupt communications, like the 2003 event that caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged South Africa’s power grid.

More promisingly, super-charged collisions of solar energy into the gas of our atmosphere creates the dazzling phenomena of aurora borealis, or the northern lights. Typically confined to polar regions, the colorful display could be visible this weekend as far south as Northern California.

“We have a very rare event on our hands,” space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl of SWPC said during a news conference Friday morning.

A geomagnetic storm happens when energy from solar wind — the high-speed current of atomic particles the sun is constantly flinging into space — is transferred into the electromagnetic field that surrounds Earth.

The winds of a Category 5 hurricane on our puny little planet can exceed 150 miles per hour. In contrast, solar wind averages about 870,000 miles per hour all day, every day according to NASA.

Earth’s electromagnetic field deflects the majority of these particles, save for those interactions in the polar areas that produce the northern lights. But unusually intense or concentrated eruptions of energy on the surface of the Sun can disrupt that equilibrium, causing geomagnetic storms like the one potentially headed our way.

On Wednesday morning, astronomers noted a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections — essentially, giant explosions of energy — emanating from a massive sunspot more than 15 times the diameter of Earth.

The Space Weather Prediction Center has observed seven coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, heading in Earth’s direction, said Mike Bettwy, operations chief at SWPC.

“Based on the data we have, all seven of these are going to be spewing that energy toward us,” Bettwy said.

The energy in these various eruptions is expected to merge and reach the Earth’s magnetic field late Friday or early Saturday.

“Our level of confidence is high that we will have an arrival of these CMEs as early as this evening,” Dahl said. The precise time they’ll arrive is less certain.

SPWC will have more clear information once that solar energy reaches NASA’s Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft, a satellite about 1 million miles from Earth.

Yet “even though that sounds like it’s far away . . . it doesn’t necessarily give us a ton of lead time,” Bettwy said. Given that solar wind is moving faster than the speed of sound, it will reach Earth only 20 to 45 minutes after passing that 1-million-mile marker in space.

Scientists have previously warned that the strongest geomagnetic storms could wreak havoc on our power and communication systems. That is not what’s expected in this case.

Those of us here on Earth may experience power outages and minor internet or GPS glitches, Bettwy said.

“Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface, potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations,” NOAA said in a statement. “SWPC has notified the operators of these systems so they can take protective action.”

Watches for milder geomagnetic storms are fairly common. In March, a geomagnetic storm briefly reached G4 strength for a few hours.

That event was the third geomagnetic storm to reach G4 status during the current 11-year solar cycle, which began in 2019, according to the SWPC. At that time, the agency said the event posed no risk of adverse impacts to the public.

“What’s unique about what is potentially about to hit us is that it’s a much more significant event, in terms of what’s going to be hitting the atmosphere,” Bettwy said.

You feel a cold coming on, or maybe it’s already upon you: the telltale cough, sore throat and stuffy head. You swing by the drugstore, where a shelf full of over-the-counter products containing the mineral zinc claim to be able to shorten the duration of your symptoms.

The promise of relief is tempting. But is it one these products can make good on?

A new analysis of studies published on zinc and cold viruses concludes that there isn’t enough evidence to say whether over-the-counter zinc treatments have any effect on preventing the common cold.

For those who pop lozenges or inhale nasal sprays once a cold has come on, the available research together indicates that the products may reduce the duration of symptoms by up to two days, said Daryl Nault, an assistant professor at Maryland University of Integrative Health and first author of the paper, published Wednesday by the nonprofit organization Cochrane.

But those studies are so inconsistent in terms of the dosage, type of zinc, patient population and definition of cold symptoms that “confidence in the evidence is mostly low to very low,” the review states. “It is likely that additional studies are required before any firm conclusions can be drawn.”

In other words: Nearly 30 years after zinc lozenges first hit the market, we still can’t say for sure if these things do what they say they do.

“We aren’t saying [zinc] does” have any effect on the common cold, Nault said. “We aren’t saying it doesn’t. We’re saying we need more consistent evidence that is replicable. That’s a cornerstone of good science.”

The age of zinc cold products dawned in 1996, when researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation convinced 100 clinic employees to volunteer as research subjects within 24 hours of developing a cold.

Half were given placebos, and half were given lozenges containing 13.3 milligrams of zinc from zinc gluconate every two waking hours as long as their symptoms persisted. Those receiving the zinc got better after 4.4 days on average, while the placebo group felt sick for an average of 7.6 days.

Most people consume a sufficient amount of zinc, a vital nutrient, through a regular diet. The mineral is plentiful in red meat and poultry, and present in many grains and fruits. (Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other known food, with a single serving containing nearly 300% of the daily recommended intake.)

Scientists aren’t exactly sure how the mineral works to alleviate cold symptoms. But the idea of an over-the-counter way to shorten the misery of a common cold has proved wildly popular.

Total U.S. sales of zinc products, such as Zicam and Cold-Eeze, were $340 million in 2023, said Hannah Esper, managing editor of the trade publication Nutrition Business Journal. Demand for zinc and other supplements exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, with sales for zinc growing 168.3% during 2020.

Based in the U.K., Cochrane uses rigorous research methods to evaluate existing scientific evidence and produce reports to help people make decisions about their health, according to its website.

For this review, the Cochrane team looked at 34 studies conducted across 13 countries that examined zinc products and the treatment or prevention of the common cold.

Drawing strong conclusions from the available research is difficult, as the studies tend to measure different things, said author Susan Wieland, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field.

The cold “is a very common condition that is a difficult one to study,” Wieland said. It comes and goes quickly, making it difficult to enroll research subjects. Dosages and the type of zinc administered to study subjects varied widely.

“The designs of each study are different. So different dosages, different dosage forms, different patient populations, different criteria of exclusion and inclusion, different outcomes [and] definitions of cold,” said Dr. Jason Yee, an antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who was not involved with the review. “It’s really hard to draw the same conclusion based on different studies.”

Physicians said they weren’t surprised by the findings.

“I agree with the study. … It is consistent with my clinical experience in the hospital,” said Dr. Samia Faiz, an internal medicine specialist at UC Riverside Health. “In general, healthy people may be able to take zinc supplements if they make them feel better or if they get some comfort. They should not take these supplements if they have distaste or stomach upset.”

While over-the-counter zinc products are generally harmless to patients battling colds, said Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious disease physician and researcher at the Mayo Clinic, popping lozenges “shouldn’t come at the expense of doing things that really matter, which is getting plenty of rest, plenty of fluids and taking care of yourself.”

So why do we continue to fork over our cash for these things when we don’t really have more than a hunch that they work?

When a cold hits, “it’s natural for consumers to just reach for anything that may help alleviate those symptoms. But average consumers aren’t really educated on the literature and studies that are out there showing that there’s limited evidence and efficacy with these products,” Yee said.

Buying the lozenges or huffing the nasal spray can make us feel like we have more agency in a situation where we’re at the mercy of time and our immune systems, Nault said.

“Having a sense of control makes a lot of people feel better, and feel like they’re doing something,” Nault said. “Even if they aren’t.”

Times researcher Scott Wilson contributed to this report.

Fake versions of Botox have popped up in California, raising alarm among public health officials who warn that counterfeit versions of the injections can lead to symptoms such as slurred speech and breathing problems.

“Counterfeit or incorrectly administered Botox, even in small amounts, can result in serious health problems and even death,” Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health, warned in a statement Wednesday.

Botox, or botulinum toxin, is used cosmetically to temporarily smooth fine lines on the face. It has also been employed to treat medical conditions such as muscle spasms. The product is derived from a toxin produced by bacteria.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 22 people from 11 states had reported harmful reactions such as weakness and blurry vision after getting injections, landing some of them in the hospital. They had gotten their injections from unlicensed or untrained people or outside of healthcare settings, such as in a home or spa, according to the federal agency.

So far, there is no indication that such problems were linked to the genuine Botox product approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, health officials said. Instead, regulators have found that some patients received counterfeit Botox products or ones from unverified sources. Investigations are underway.

“We’re not even sure what it really is,” but it’s not Botox, said Dr. Adam Friedman, chair of dermatology at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

And “when you have an injectable agent that is not what it claims to be, has no quality assurance, no oversight … there could be a whole bunch of different things that come along for the ride,” including bacteria or allergens.

Because the health effects could be delayed, “I don’t think we’ve actually scratched the surface yet” of possible consequences from injecting an unknown substance into the body, Friedman said.

The California Department of Public Health said that since a multistate investigation launched in November, it had received two reports of harmful reactions to counterfeit or mishandled botulinum toxin, which were included in the total figure reported nationally by the CDC.

Under California law, Botox can be injected only by a physician, or by a registered nurse or physician assistant working under the supervision of a doctor. But state law “does not restrict where Botox treatments may be performed,” according to the Medical Board of California. In a statement, Aragón urged people to get Botox injections only from “licensed and trained professionals in healthcare settings.”

Public health officials also advised consumers to check with healthcare providers that they were getting Botox from “an authorized source” and to ask if they were licensed and trained to administer the injections.

“If in doubt, do not get the injection,” the public health department urged.

Aragón also stressed that Botox should never be purchased online or through “unlicensed individuals.” Dr. Debra Johnson, former president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said that online sellers abroad have been creating “pirated Botox,” putting it in similar packaging, and then selling it to anyone who will pay.

Physicians have been getting emails and faxes saying, “‘We’ve got Botox for cheaper, we’ve got filler for cheaper’ — and it’s all these unregulated places that don’t have any FDA oversight,” Johnson said. Responsible doctors know that’s illegal, she said, but “I’m sure there’s some people who would hop at the chance.”

Botox is manufactured by AbbVie Inc. The California Department of Public Health said that outer cartons of the genuine product include product descriptions for either “BOTOX® COSMETIC / onabotulinumtoxinA / for Injection” or “OnabotulinumtoxinA / BOTOX® / for injection” and list the manufacturer as either “Allergan Aesthetics / An AbbVie Company” or “abbvie.” They also list the active ingredient as “OnabotulinumtoxinA.”

Fake products might show the active ingredient as “Botulinum Toxin Type A,” include languages other than English, or indicate 150-unit doses, according to the California Department of Public Health. (AbbVie manufactures real Botox products in 50-, 100- and 200-unit dose forms, federal officials said.) Another tipoff to a fake product is the lot number “C3709C3” on packaging or vials, regulators have advised.

Thankfully, “there’s some really key, distinct features on this fake Botox that distinguish it from the real thing, which has not been contaminated,” Friedman said. If a consumer is concerned, “there’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘Hey, can I check out the box?’”

In general, if “something seems to be too good to be true” or “it seems like a bargain when it comes to your health, those should be signals to run,” he said.

Anyone suffering symptoms from counterfeit Botox — which are similar to the effects of botulism poisoning from improperly canned foods — should contact a medical professional or go immediately to an emergency room, CDPH said. Symptoms can include drooping eyelids, trouble swallowing, fatigue, weakness and difficulty breathing.

Fake Botox products can be reported to the FDA through its website or by calling (800) 551-3989. In California, people can also tip off the California Department of Public Health by submitting a consumer complaint.